Washington Redskins: Complete 2015 NFL Draft Wrap-Up and Analysis

General manager Scot McCloughan had a clear plan for his first draft in charge of the Washington Redskins, and he never deviated from it. His strategy appeared to be a simple one: add big, smart and physical players at key areas of need in every round.

It was a guideline that made Washington overlook some high-profile prospects in favor of less-heralded ones who more closely fit McCloughan's template. Many of the selections also seemed to dispel McCloughan's so-called fidelity to the "best player available" draft strategy.

That was certainly obvious during the first four rounds. The Redskins kicked things off by taking offensive tackle Brandon Scherff, the safe pick, while leaving dominant defensive lineman Leonard Williams on the board.

McCloughan bookended his first four picks with another O-lineman, Arie Kouandjio. Again, he might have opted for a prospect others would have shunned in favor of more high-profile options.

But that was really the central theme of this draft for Washington. While forgoing the glamour picks for the solid citizens might irk some, this was at least the first time in years when a coherent draft strategy was evident in every pick the Redskins made.

Find out exactly how that strategy played out for the rebuilding NFC East club through all seven rounds of the 2015 NFL draft.

The Selections

Ultimately, Scherff to Washington just made too much sense not to happen, even if many weren't wild about the idea of taking an O-lineman fifth overall. But for the team dragged down by a dire front that allowed 58 sacks in 2014, drafting the best blocker available was the perfect match of need and talent.

Scherff's a day-one starter in D.C., with head coach Jay Gruden indicating he'll be the right tackle of choice, per ESPN's John Keim. If Scherff delivers, a position that's plagued the offensive front since 2010 will finally be fixed.

McCloughan will be hoping Preston Smith's arrival bolsters a weak pass rush that felt the collars of quarterbacks a mere 36 times last season. He logged nine sacks during his final year at Mississippi State, per cfbstats.com.

One note of caution with Smith comes from CSN Washington's Tarik El-Bashir, who believes the Redskins were wowed by the player at the combine. Taking a prospect based on numbers posted in that sanitized and carefully controlled environment is always a risk.

There are also those, including CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler, who believe Smith lacks the necessary speed and lean to consistently win off the edge.

Yet, perhaps the most head-scratching pick of McCloughan's first draft came in Round 3 when he took bruising running back Matt Jones off the board. The ex-Florida battering ram is very much in the mold of Marshawn Lynch or former Dallas Cowboys power back Marion Barber III.

He seems like a strange complement alongside Alfred Morris, another running back who often wins with brute force. A more versatile and dynamic speedster might have made more sense here.

Perhaps McCloughan feels that quality will come from fourth-round wide receiver Jamison Crowder. The pocket-edition burner brings genuine return skills to a special teams that hasn't had those qualities since the days Brian Mitchell suited up for the Burgundy and Gold.

Crowder is also electric running underneath routes and using his speed to terrorize coverage from the slot.

McCloughan's grand plan was obvious in the decision to draft Kouandjio. His knee issues clearly scared off some teams, but the former Alabama guard is a terrific fit for the power-based schemes new line guru Bill Callahan has brought to Redskins Park.

After Kouandjio, McCloughan used the second half of this draft to load up on depth players and special teams contributors. A pair of mid- to late-round trades, first with the Seattle Seahawks, then the New Orleans Saints, had netted the Redskins three additional choices.

McCloughan had wisely opted for volume, an understandable policy from a GM who places a premium on building through the draft. But it was still a little disappointing to see Washington go depth-players mode so early in the process and shun some of the impact players still available late on.

Best Pick: Brandon Scherff

Without a doubt, Scherff was Washington's best pick. Wisely rejecting the perceived notion you don't draft a tackle, who maybe projects to guard, in the top five immediately bolsters a dire offensive line.

Scherff's first impact will be on a running game that slipped to 19th in the league rankings in 2015. B/R draft analyst Matt Miller tabbed the former Iowa linchpin as the top run-blocker in this year's class.

Scherff and his 6'5", 319-pound frame should arrest some of the problems Morris had getting free last season. Washington's three-time 1,000-yard rusher has already expressed his delight at the team's decision to bring a dominant trench warrior to town, per his official Twitter feed (h/t Scott Allen of The Washington Post).

Where the assessment of this pick gets tricky is the onus it puts on Robert Griffin III. Make no mistake, taking Scherff fifth overall and sliding him to right tackle are decisions made with Griffin in mind.

Of course, that's only natural considering the beating Griffin, Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy took under center in 2014. No quarterback can improve without time in the pocket.

Griffin isn't an exception to that rule. Few, if any, quarterbacks in football have as much to do to improve decision-making, speed of reads and accuracy as 2012's second overall choice.

The problem is the Redskins have been down this road with Griffin already. Many, many times.

Stacking talent around a limited signal-caller who has dealt with injuries and hoping the light bulb goes on for him has been a risky policy, one that's yielded two losing seasons out of three.

Yet, despite the very real dangers in the franchise's Griffin-centric policy, Scherff still makes a lot of sense. Whether it's Griffin under center, Cousins, McCoy or even if Gruden himself feels like playing a few snaps, this O-line simply had to get better.

The group had to get better, even if it meant leaving impact players on the board. Of course, passing on Williams stands out here.

But McCloughan and his scouts likely saw the ultra-athletic but work-shy marvel take enough plays off at USC (it's called lateral pursuit) to draft him. Washington also added a trio of new D-linemen in free agency, although none boasts Williams' incredible physical gifts.

Ultimately, defensive tackle wasn't as important to this team as paying serious attention to a perennially dreadful O-line. McCloughan had a value judgement to make, and he got this one right.

The last time Washington went tackle in the opening round of a draft, Pro Bowler Trent Williams was the result. That's a very good omen for Scherff.

Worst Pick: Matt Jones, RB, Florida

The title "worst pick" seems a little harsh, so let's just say the distinction for most curious pick belongs to the decision to take Jones in Round 3. It was a dubious call not necessarily because of the player and his potential fit in the offense, but more for the questions it raises.

Starting with the fit, Jones is a classic smashmouth powerhouse between the tackles. He's a natural for what the Redskins want to do on the ground this season.

Gruden has already indicated how Callahan's arrival will herald a more "physical, downhill approach," per ESPN's John Keim. That explains why McCloughan used such an early pick on a 6'2", 231-pounder who is a "physical pile-mover," according to NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein.

B/R's Matt Miller explains in the video above how Jones fits the mold of bruising backs McCloughan has been around in the past. They include Frank Gore, a player McCloughan drafted while with the San Francisco 49ers, as well as Lynch for the Seattle Seahawks.

Jones sees his style as similar to the latter, per Tom Schad of The Washington Times. Jones is certainly excellent insurance in case Morris doesn't take well to the new emphasis on gap blocking.

Remember, this is a runner who's risen to fame behind stretch-style zone techniques. It's a system made famous at the NFL level by Mike Shanahan, a scheme noted for turning a litany of unheralded backs into instant stars.

But few survive without it. It's telling that Morris produced career lows for both yards and yards-per-carry average last season, per statistics via the league's official site. That was the year Gruden took over from Shanahan and began implementing more power concepts.

Finding a runner more used to running in a power system was an offseason priority and a smart move on draft day. But Jones doesn't look like mere insurance for Morris.

Instead, he has the look of an every-down workhorse. That's certainly how he sees himself, according to Mike Jones of The Washington Post.

The question is do the Redskins coaches see him the same way? Gruden stressed this pick won't impact Morris, per ESPN's John Keim.

It's just not too easy to believe him. After all, Morris' numbers last season were impacted by the fewest carries in his career to date. Perhaps the reduced workload was a hint that Gruden feels Morris may not be the best long-term fit for the scheme he wants. Selecting Jones may also indicate McCloughan feels the same way.

These questions wouldn't exist if Washington had instead opted for a change-of-pace complement for Morris. But the team shunned nifty, versatile prospects such as Jeremy Langford and Ameer Abdullah.

Yet, that doesn't mean there aren't more strings to Jones' bow. Keim noted how he caught a career-best 11 passes during his final year with the Gators. He also highlighted Jones' "excellent" blocking skills, particularly in the passing game.

That's a quality which makes this pick look like yet another favor for Griffin. While good protection starts up front, it also helps to have supplemental players, such as backs and tight ends, who can block. The Redskins certainly lacked those players in 2014.

But by opting for a poor man's version of Morris, who's a free agent a year from now, Washington has simply created a host of questions about arguably the most stable position on the roster.

What the Experts Are Saying

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Doug Farrar

The Redskins received a solid B from Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrar. Frankly, fans should have few complaints about the grade.

A B is the perfect fit for a draft class defined more by solid citizens than marquee names. Farrar particularly emphasized how McCloughan stuck to his core strategy over 10 picks: "New general manager Scot McCloughan made it clear in his first Washington draft that he's going to do with the Redskins what he did in his stints with the 49ers and Seahawks: fill the roster with height/weight/speed monsters who can play the game."

That's likely to be a theme of most of the post-draft analysis you'll read concerning the Redskins. McCloughan certainly entered draft day with a clear focus.

It was the same single-minded approach he'd adopted during free agency. Then he used the veteran market to beef up an ailing defense, both its front line, as well as a woeful secondary.

For the draft, McCloughan broadened the scope of his strategy to include the O-line and backfield. He added three trench monsters and one sledgehammer-style ball-carrier.

Washington may not win many style points in 2015, but every opponent on the schedule will know they've been in a physical battle.

The phrase Farrar used that really stands out is the one about targeting players "who can play the game." It's significant to note how five players, half the class, came from the SEC. Meanwhile, Scherff and sixth-round wideout Evan Spencer plied their respective trades in the Big Ten.

These are prospects used to a high level of physically demanding competition. Smarts is also a quality that defines this class. Sixth-round safety Kyshoen Jarrett used to line up the defense at Virginia Tech, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.

Each of these rookies should add the type of temperament and good habits every rebuilding roster needs.

Bryan Fischer

NFL.com College Football 24/7's Bryan Fischer likely pinpointed the central tension arising from McCloughan's decisions during this draft. It concerns the trend of forgoing more obvious impact players (at least potentially) in favor of solid picks who fit a specific philosophy.

Fischer particularly took McCloughan to task for the decision to opt for Scherff instead of Williams:

"

GM Scot McCloughan is one of the best evaluators in the league, but Scherff was a big reach, even if he lives up to his potential. Failing to trade down and passing on the best player in the draft (Leonard Williams) is going to be something the team might regret, even if Scherff becomes a top-flight tackle or guard.

"

The Williams argument is a tricky one. But the ex-USC standout's inconsistent effort had to rate as a concern.

It's also worth noting that every rebuilding job needs the right foundation, a solid platform for success. Williams might have helped provide that, but falling for star power isn't always the best way to get started.

McCloughan clearly wants dependable players who can be relied on snap to snap for years. That's no doubt why he opted for the safety Scherff's selection offers.

A similar story was evident in Round 3. Jones' ability as a blocker makes him a safer bet for third downs than, say, Abdullah—even though the latter would certainly offer a greater big-play threat.

Fischer believes McCloughan "bypassed some more talented players" by sticking to his plan. How you view that decision will depend entirely on how much you trust McCloughan.

What's Left to Address?

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

After a draft that did him more than one favor, what's left is for quarterback Robert Griffin III to finally get it. That means it's time for the struggling quarterback to finally seize the mantle this franchise keeps offering him.

McCloughan used 10 picks to address virtually every obvious need on the roster. The offensive line is now stronger; there are more options in the backfield and at receiver.

On the other side of the ball, a defense already boosted by fine work in free agency got another weapon for pressuring quarterbacks. Finally, every level of the special teams, from coverage to the return game, received an infusion of talent.

McCloughan has even ensured depth is stronger, at least in terms of numbers, at every key position. The only thing missing now is competent quarterback play.

So it's over to you, Griffin. It's over to you because this team otherwise looks primed for a more-than-solid rebound from last season's 4-12 finish.

So it's time to stop falling out with coaches. It's time to take a regular seat in the film room. It's time to take what a game gives you instead of trying to force your way onto the weekly highlight reels

He should already be out of excuses, but if the Redskins still can't win and compete with him under center in 2015, Griffin is never going to make it.

Final Grade

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

There's a lot to like about this draft. Specifically, the way McCloughan quietly and calmly went about addressing the needs evident on this roster.

That did not only mean adding to the offensive line and the pass-rushing rotation—the two most obvious deficiencies heading into 2015's draft. It also meant paying attention to some of the less-talked-about, yet just as significant, issues.

So McCloughan scores points for adding a running back who can not only take some carries off Morris, but also offers skills he doesn't possess. He gets a pat on the back for adding a genuine return man who will also double up as a sure-handed slot receiver, something Griffin hasn't had but certainly needs.

Most of all, though, McCloughan can be commended for sticking to a coherent plan. He never allowed that plan to be derailed by wow picks. Indeed, this draft should be graded as much for the intent of the plan as for the picks themselves.

Gauging how much you trust McCloughan and his plans has been a familiar theme for Redskins fans this offseason. That's still the biggest takeaway from this draft.

Those who trust his expertise as a reputed master team-builder implicitly won't mind that McCloughan shunned impact players for solid citizens. Those who don't won't waste a second vilifying these selections if his road-grader-heavy roster is still stuck in the mud once games are being played.

Grade: B